The Bitten Law
by Rhiannon Amaranth
Summary: ...


**Disclaimer: I do not own Raziel or any other characters in this chapter. Legacy of Kain is property and copyrighted by Eidos Games.**

**Do Enjoy!**

"Ra…" Her voice was raspy and coarse. Convulsing and jerking in violent spasms, she desperately called his name. "Ra…" The blood continued to dribble from various orifices on her face, oozing from her nose and the corners of her mouth. She screamed, arching her back off the floor and clawing at the sky. Her abdomen caved, making her ribcage even more prominent. Her muscles tightened and flexed wildly, without control. "Raaaaaa…" she hissed, whipping her head in the other direction in her possessed seizure. Her paper-white skin hardened and relaxed, glistening like spun sugar. She bared her fangs at him, snarling fiercely. Only her yellowed eyes betrayed her, full of pain and pleading.

"Lash her down." The vampire's eyes were hard as diamonds as he watched his children attempt to contain the creature. They scrambled to gather more rope for the woman, who was surprisingly strong in this frantic state. Eight muscled men had grasped onto her limbs and laid across her body, yet she still seemed to find a way out from beneath them, steadily crawling toward her master. Just watching infuriated the older vampire, who stood stiffly at the head of the room, his gauntlet-encased arms crossed over his thick chest. He tapped one of his three-pronged hands against the leather and ground his teeth together.

"Malkavian." He glanced to his right, where his first lieutenant stood, patiently awaiting his next orders. The younger vampire bowed and stepped forward, silent. He knew better than to speak unless prompted to. His golden yellow eyes were focused on his father, anxious and attentive to the man's composure. It satisfied the elder. "Make sure she makes it to the Citadel alive and in one piece," he ordered a slight taste of venom in his voice.

"Of course, sire," Malkavian said obediently.

"Raaaaz…" Her eyes were now rolled back in her head, but she still faced her target, gritting her teeth at him. Malkavian looked at the woman, who was now tied down to the floor at various points around the room. Every soldier in the room had a hold of rope, stretching her into submission. Shaking his head, he glanced back at his master and sighed. "She'll be a challenge to get there, my lord."

Raziel shot him a hardened glare, his amber eyes flashing in the torch light. The chiseled muscles in his neck tightened, standing pronounced in frustration. Just the look upon his face was enough to send the other vampire scrambling after his words.

"Not that we cannot handle it, of course, sire." If the vampire could get any whiter, he certainly paled under the gaze of his superior. He busied himself with barking orders at the rest of the men, who scurried like ants, all swarming around the woman to lift her shuddering body. The remaining soldiers tied her limbs together and they all filed out of the chamber, leaving their master to himself.

The wretched creature was still calling his name as they left.

Raziel sighed in frustration, rubbing his temples with his tridactyl hands. He strode to the center of the room, his shoulder-cape swishing gracefully with his gait, the crimson red fabric glowing in the light from the setting sun. The beams of light softly filtered in through the windows, casting effulgence upon the chamber floor. He could feel bile rise in his throat at the sheen of fresh blood smeared across the marble floors.

Crouching, he lightly ran a fingertip through the viscous liquid and rubbed it between his fingers. By all means, there was enough blood on the floor for the woman to be dead. How she was still able to struggle as much as she did surprised him. It was theoretically impossible. Then again, since his birth as a vampire, he had learned by experience that nothing was impossible.

He touched his finger to his tongue and hissed, rising to his feet immediately with exceptional speed. Turning on his heels, he silently stormed from the room, shoving his way through the golden double doors. His step was swift, stirring movement into the passing tapestries, contorting the images embroidered into their fine silk. Winding corridors were quickly conquered as he continued toward the north gate, glaring at the human servants who stood in his way, who quickly cowered from his path. They were smart enough not to stand in the way of an angry vampire, much less in the way of Kain's favorite son.

Raziel clenched his hands into fists and pauses, staring out one of the glass doors that dotted the corridor. Through the sheer crimson curtain, he could see his brother, Turel, who was lazily swirling a glass in his hand. His short ponytail was lustrous, consuming the moonlight that shone upon it. He seemed to glow with a youthful radiance.

Raziel took a deep breath and crossed the threshold, agitation obvious in his features. The other vampire didn't even glance over his shoulder. He merely took another drink from the long-stemmed glass and continued gazing across the kingdom his father had built.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he commented, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth. Looking down into his glass, he sloshed his drink around once more, watching the still-darkening liquid stain the inside of his fluke. "Shame not all nights can be as perfect as this, no?" He held the glass rim up to his nose and inhaled deeply. "Tantalizing… Why so tense, Raziel?"

"Turel," Raziel hissed, his anger finally seeping through. He put a hand on Turel's shoulder and pushed him around so that he was able to look the younger vampire directly. His sibling's dull yellow eyes were full of mischief.

"Come now, brother. What has you so worked up this evening?" He asked, taking another sip of his drink, his smirk apparent. "There is no reason for you to be so rough with me. You didn't even bother to say hello."

"Save me the nonsense, Turel!" Raziel snapped, glaring at his sibling. His teeth gnashed together as he spoke in an attempt to control his fury. "How dare you speak to me so idly when you know you have been wreaking havoc upon the servants?" Angrily, he snatched the glass from the other's hand and tossed it against the balcony railing. The delicate piece shattered into a thousand pieces.

Turel frowned in disappointment, watching the blood slide down the railing like molasses. "That really was a waste, Raziel. I was going to drink that. She was truly a healthy woman. She had a sweet aftertaste." He raised his gaze to meet Raziel's, a flicker of testy amusement there. "I would have shared."

"Dammit, Turel! This is not why we keep the humans!" Raziel growled in frustration, turning on his heel and pacing across the balcony. "You are under strict instruction to not slaughter the servants like cattle! And yet you have the nerve to _torture_ them before draining them dry? It's completely barbaric! That is not what our people are about, Turel!"

Turel merely leaned back against the railing and crossed his arms over his chest. "They're prey, Raziel. Either way, they sustain our way of life. By all means, they are our, as you put it, "cattle". Do not be weak like our brethren."

"And if Lord Kain had caught you in the act, you would be wishing you were never born, Turel. You're not fooling anyone!" Raziel stopped dead in his tracks and glared at Turel, the heat rolling off his body. "It is not weakness. It's respect and loyalty – something that you dearly lack, _brother_." The venom that coated his last words was thick and strong, emphasizing his distaste for the younger vampire. He clenched his fists and took deep breaths, trying to control the acid that coursed through his veins, urging him to attack his brother. "I tire of cleaning up after you, Turel. I will not do it again." With that, the turned and strode toward the door, the anger still boiling beneath his stone-cold skin.

"Fool."

No sooner had the words been spoken, Raziel felt the talons of the younger vampire dig into his shoulder, propelling him forward into the corridor. With a husky grunt, he hit the far wall, catching his fall with his hands. He whipped around and swung his arm out, hitting Turel in mid-flight. A large gash in Turel's chest oozed with the blood of his last victim. The second-lieutenant stumbled backward, his hand clasped to his chest.

"You're so weak, Raziel," he hissed through grit teeth, his unnecessary breathing labored. He lunged at his brother again, claws extended. Raziel side-stepped him, catching him in the ribs with a solid knee. Turel hit the floor and rolled over, pulling himself from the floor into a crouch. He stood frozen, sizing up the elder vampire, who held his position as well. They were both poised, ready and waiting, eyes locked wearily. The adrenaline that pumped through their veins was apparent, their muscles tensed for attack.

Turel made a move around Raziel, scuttling like a spider across the floor. He glared at Raziel for a moment before launching himself off the polished marble. He aimed for Raziel's neck, his teeth bared. The older vampire simply raised his hand and caught him by the neck, tossing Turel aside like a rag doll. The younger brother slammed against the corridor wall, sliding down the stone to the floor. Anger still flared in his eyes.

Raziel started toward him, his fists raised and tensed for his offensive punch when he felt something grab his hand. He whipped around, ready to maul whatever had dared lay a hand on him, but he paused, surprised. He stared at two deep cerulean eyes, frozen as he stood. Even Turel had fallen silent, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"What is wrong with you two?" Rahab's tenor voice was calm and level as he held his eldest brother's gaze. He released Raziel's fist, shaking his head. "You both never cease to amaze me, constantly bickering like an old married couple." He looked down at Turel and smirked. "Though, I must say, domestic violence is truly something I didn't expect from you, Raziel."

"Shut up," Turel snapped, rising to his feet. He frowned at Rahab, gritting his teeth. "What do you want? Can't you see you're interrupting quality bonding between two brothers?"

"Well, what you do with Raziel," Rahab said sternly, "you can share with your other brothers." He turned to his superior. "Lord Kain has summoned us all to the throne room. I suggest we all clean up and hasten there. We do not wish to disappoint him." As he said these last words, he shot a scalding glare at Turel. He knew what was unfurling behind closed doors, as did the rest of the brethren. Turel merely shrugged his shoulders.

"One can only keep sins hushed for so long," he commented ominously. Gently placing his arm above Raziel's shoulder, he lead his elder brother toward the door, wearily keeping an eye on Turel as they left. After putting a considerable distance between Turel and themselves, Rabab released his brother, seeing no need to restrain him any longer. Not that he could have restrained the vampire lieutenant had he truly wanted to hurt Turel.

They strode in silence, the anger rolling off Raziel in waves. His body was still tense. Rahab rubbed his temples in frustration and sighed.

"This is ridiculous, Raziel," he said finally, shattering the silent awkwardness between them. "I swear, I find you two combating one another on a daily basis. Is it really necessary for you –" He stopped short, catching the look on Raziel's disgusted face.

"Our brother is a monster, Rahab." Raziel's typically soothing baritone voice was husky and coarse, thick with hatred. "Not only has his moral value disintegrated into barbarism, but his has also become a disloyal tyrant. He holds no regard for our lifestyle here, nor does he care for the laws laid down for us to follow. I find it hard to believe that as faithful as you are, you're ok with his actions."

Rahab sighed, knowing all too well that what he said was true. "It's not our place to discipline him," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. Nodding toward the passing subordinates, who saluted him in return, he continued. "Our job is to maintain our own fledglings, not dictate what our siblings do. We only do as we're instructed and leave the punishment to our lord." Glancing at Raziel, he said, "I sympathize with you, brother, because I too feel that Turel's actions are unforgiveable. His disloyalty repulses me. But I also understand that I am not to step around Kain in order to soothe my own distaste for Turel." He paused, letting his words sink in, his blue eyes studying Raziel's every facial movement.

Raziel showed no emotion, having heard this suggestion from Rahab since the day he divulged Turel's actions to him. He and the younger vampire had grown close over their existence, with Rahab teaching Raziel patience and Raziel teaching Rahab to stand up for himself. It was hard to stay upset around him, considering how calm and rational he was. He took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders.

"I will speak to him eventually, Rahab." He frowned, deep in thought. "Quite frankly, I'd just like to slaughter him myself."

That got a smile out of Rahab. "That is how you solve all of your problems within the clan, my friend. Nevertheless," he said, pausing before his own chamber door, "I am warning you, comrade-to-comrade. It is not wise to pursue justice without Kain." He nodded to his elder and slipped into his suite, closing the door on Raziel, leaving him to his own thoughts.


End file.
